FEMA Promising Practices: Fire preparedness and Post-Disaster Accessibility Issues in the Home

This webinar will include two presentations about preparedness and accessibility issues in the home.

1. Home Fire Safety Solutions for People with Disabilities is a program that installs smoke alarms, alert devices and delivers home fire safety educational messages that meet the needs of people with disabilities in Oklahoma. The key components of this successful program will be presented by project managers.
2. This presentation will address the role of design professionals as educators and “experts” to encourage residents to plan for accessibility for themselves, their visitors, and for any future inhabitants over their life and the life of their home.

Learning objectives:

• Determine the selection and installation of appropriate smoke alarms and alert devices that meet the needs of people with disabilities according to the National Fire Alarm Code.
• Describe the components of a successful home visit program to install smoke alarms, alert devices and deliver fire and life safety educational messages to serve people with disabilities.
• Discuss the value of community partnerships to plan and implement a home fire safety project to meet the needs of people with disabilities.
• Identify resources available to replicate the Oklahoma program in your location.
• Provide universal design tenets.
• Understand obstacles to accessibility in a post-disaster environment, including financial, policy, zoning, and building code hindrances.
• Learn how to communicate effectively with all actors in the accessibility discussion as a design professional with the obligation to advocate for universal design.